Club Debauché: The Brilliant Excesses of Ken Russell + Lisztomania

The evening begins with a specially curated clip show diving into the scandalous and extravagant film art of enfant terrible Ken Russell. Known for pushing the boundaries of sex, religion, and rock’n’roll on screen, Russell remains one of cinema’s most visionary and controversial directors.

After the break, we present Lisztomania (103 min), Russell’s flamboyant 1975 rock musical based on the life of composer Franz Liszt. Following the success of Tommy, Russell once again teamed up with The Who’s Roger Daltrey in the role of Liszt. The result is a wild, sensual, and surreal spectacle featuring vampires, Nazi zombies, orgies, a giant vulva, and prog-rock compositions by Rick Wakeman of Yes—who also appears as Thor. The film also stars Little Nell Campbell (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and Ringo Starr as the Pope.

Film critic Roger Ebert described it as “a berserk exercise of demented genius. Most people will probably despise it.” What will you think?

Program
18.30 – Cinema Café opens
19.30 – Clip show: The Brilliant Excesses of Ken Russell
20.10 – Lounge intermission
20.20 – Feature film: Lisztomania (103 min)